Thursday, March 31, 2016

"Jesus
took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from
all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27 NLT).

Well,
what do you know, Christ conducted a Bible class. He led the Emmaus bound duo
through an Old Testament survey course, from the writings of Moses (Genesis
through Deuteronomy) into the messages of Isaiah, Amos, and the others. He
turned the Emmaus trail into a biblical timeline, pausing to describe… the Red
Sea rumbling?... Jericho tumbling?... King David stumbling? Of special import
to Jesus was what the "Scriptures said about Himself." His face
watermarks more Old Testament stories than you might imagine. Jesus is Noah,
saving humanity from disaster; Abraham, the father of a new nation; Isaac,
placed on the altar by his father; Joseph, sold for a bag of silver; Moses,
calling slaves to freedom; Joshua, pointing out the promised land.

Jesus
"took them through the writing of Moses and all the prophets." Can
you imagine Christ quoting Old Testament Scripture? Did Isaiah 53 sound this
way: "I was wounded and crushed
for your sins. I was beaten that you might have peace" (v. 5)? Or
Isaiah 28: "I am placing a
foundation stone in Jerusalem. It is firm, a tested precious cornerstone that
is safe to build on" (v. 16)? Did He pause and give the Emmaus students a
wink, saying, "I'm the stone Isaiah described"? We don't know His
words, but we know their impact. The two disciples felt "our hearts
burning within us while He talked" (Luke 24:32 NIV).

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

If Jesus' tomb is empty, His promise is
not. Leave it to the apostle Paul to reduce the logic to a single sentence:
"There is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of
the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes
back" (1 Corinthians 15:23 NLT).

Paul was writing to Corinthian
Christians, people who had been schooled in the Greek philosophy of a shadow
afterlife. Someone was convincing them that corpses couldn't be raised, neither
theirs nor Christ's. The apostle couldn't bear such thought. "Let me go
over the Message with you one final time" (1 Corinthians 15:1 MSG). With
an insistence of an attorney in closing arguments, he reviewed the facts:
"[Jesus] was raised from death on the third day… he presented Himself alive
to Peter… His close friends… more than five hundred of His followers… James…
the rest of those He commissioned… and… finally… to me" (1 Corinthians
15:4-8 MSG).

Line up the witnesses, he offered. Call
them out one by one. Let each person who saw the resurrected Christ say so.
Better pack a lunch and clear your calendar, for more than five hundred
testifiers are willing to speak.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

NOTE: Today, March 29,
2016, is the 17th anniversary of our SOUND BITES Ministry™.It was begun in 1999 in memory of our son,
Dustin, who had died on March 29, 1998. Today's quote is an Easter reminder
that death is not the end, but A NEW ADVENTURE IN EXISTENCE. It speaks to what
I believe SOUND BITES is all about.

On
this 17th anniversary, as I have done each year, I invite you to
share how SOUND BITES has ministered to you and/or how you have used SOUND
BITES to minister to others. Since SOUND BITES is now available via e-mail,
blog, Facebook, and Twitter, you are welcome to respond through any of those
means.

Blessings…

Rev. Dave Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry™

A NEW ADVENTURE IN EXISTENCE

Jesus
grants courage for the final passage. He did for Charles Lindbergh, the first
person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. When the pilot discovered that he
had terminal cancer, he and his wife went to spend their final days at his
Hawaiian home. He engaged a minister to conduct the last rites and wrote out
these words to be read at his burial service:

"We
commit the body of Charles A. Lindbergh to its final resting place; but his
spirit we commit to Almighty God, knowing that death is but a new adventure in
existence and remembering how Jesus said upon the cross, "Father, into Thy
hands I comment My Spirit."

Death
-- "a new adventure in existence." No need to dread it or ignore it.
Because of Christ , you can face it.

Monday, March 28, 2016

"Early on Sunday morning, as the
new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the
tomb."(Matthew 28:1 NLT)

Shortly after the women arrived and
found the empty tomb, Jesus appeared to them and said, "Look, I'm here.
It's Me! Touch Me. Tell My disciples I'm alive." Later that day He
appeared to the disciples and that appearance changed everything.

The message was clear: Neither sin, nor
hate, nor evil, nor even death would have the final word. God, in raising Jesus
from the dead, was shouting to the human race: Love has conquered hate, grace has conquered sin, hope has conquered
despair, and life has conquered death! Love, grace, hope, life -- these
have the final word because of Christ's resurrection. That is our defining
story as Christians.

Friday, March 25, 2016

This is the kind of King we follow, a
King whose standard is the cross. Many look at the cross and see Christ's suffering
and death for them, a "full and perfect sacrifice for the sins of the
world," and indeed this is one of the profound and powerful truths of the
cross. But there is more.

When I look at the cross, I see a divine
love story centered on a God who suffered to save the human race. This love is selfless
and sacrificial -- a parent dying for a child, a lover dying for the beloved.
Ultimately, the cross is a sign of the lengths to which God will go to save us
from sin and brokenness. It reminds us that forgiveness came at a great price.

Luke includes the words Jesus prayed
from the cross, words that I find utterly astounding, a prayer transcending
space and time, offered on Calvary for all people everywhere: "Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

Thursday, March 24, 2016

“My Father, if it be possible, let this
cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”(Matthew 26:38)

Jesus made His fears public. He
"offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who
could save Him from death" (Hebrews 5:7 NIV). He prayed loudly enough to
be heard and recorded, and He begged His community of friends to pray with Him.

His prayer in the garden becomes, for
Christians, a picture of the church in action -- a place where fears can be
verbalized, pronounced, stripped down, and denounced; an escape from the
"wordless darkness" of suppressed frights. A healthy church is where
our fears go to die. We pierce them through with Scripture, psalms of
celebration and lament. We melt then in the sunlight of confession. We
extinguish them with the waterfall of worship, choosing to gaze at God, not our
dreads.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

In the sign language for the deaf, the
sign for Jesus is to point to the palms of both hands with the index finger of
the other hand. This is symbolic of the nail prints in the hands of Jesus.

The
sign for the Bible is to point with first one index finger then the other to
the palms of both hands, then to open the palms up as if they were a book. In
other words, the Bible is a book about Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

"I don't condemn you --
really.That's not why I came.I came to redeem your failures, not to punish
you for your mistakes.Now go -- don't
sin anymore.Start living a brand-new
life today!Don't fall back into your
same sinful habits.I will help you live
a new life starting right here, right now."

Friends, is there a better picture of
Gods' heart than this -- the heart that invites someone to freedom instead of
indictment?Without excusing the woman's
sinful discretions, Jesus said, "Everyone has taken some wrong turns.Everyone is in need of forgiveness and
redemption and healing.Everyone needs
to know the love that only my Father can provide. That is why I've come."And with customary tenacity, He left the
temple courts that day, unwavering in His belief that His restorative vision
would one day be reality.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Hosanna is a
word used in some songs of praise, particularly on Palm Sunday. It is of Hebrew
origin and was part of the shout of the multitudes as Jesus entered Jerusalem:
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9).

Hosanna is often thought of as a
declaration of praise, similar to hallelujah, but it is actually a plea for
salvation. The Hebrew root words are found in Psalm 118:25, which says, “Save
us, we pray, O LORD!” (ESV). The Hebrew words yasha (“deliver, save”) and anna
(“beg, beseech”) combine to form the word that, in English, is “hosanna.”
Literally, hosanna means “I beg you to save!” or “please deliver us!”

So, as Jesus rode the donkey into
Jerusalem, the crowds were perfectly right to shout “Hosanna!” They were
acknowledging Jesus as their Messiah, as shown in their address “Son of David.”
Theirs was a cry for salvation and a recognition that Jesus is able to save.

Later that day, Jesus was in the temple,
and the children present were again shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
(Matthew 21:15). The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were displeased:
“‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ they asked Him. ‘Yes,’ replied
Jesus, ‘have you never read, “From the lips of children and infants You, Lord,
have called forth Your praise”’?” (Matthew 21:16). In saying, “Hosanna!” the
people were crying out for salvation, and that’s exactly why Jesus had come.
Within the week Jesus would be hanging on a cross.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Things are not always what they seem! Such is certainly
the case in [Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem]… The so-called “triumphal
entry” of our Lord into Jerusalem is anything but a triumph, as we can see from
the tears shed by our Lord in Luke's… account (Luke 19:41-44). Those who
enthusiastically welcome Jesus to Jerusalem as the “King of Israel” are
some of the same people who, in a week's time, will be crying out, “We have
no king, but Caesar!” (John 19:15). Those who cry out, “Hosanna!”
(Save now!)…, will be shouting, “He saved others. Let Him save Himself if He
is the Christ of God, His chosen one!” (Luke 23:35). It is not a triumphal
entry at all, but nonetheless it is a very significant event in the life of our
Lord and in the history of the nation Israel...

The fact that every Gospel has an account of the
“triumphal entry” of our Lord into Jerusalem indicates to us that it is indeed
a most significant event. On our Lord's part, it is a most dramatic and
emphatic claim to be the Messiah, the “King of Israel.” At the same
time, it is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. Jesus does not come
as a conquering king, ready to lead Israel against the Romans, overthrowing
their rule. He has come as the “Prince of Peace” and as the “Lamb of
God,” whose death will provide the cure for sin. I am reminded of the
spiritual that goes something like this, “Poor little Jesus boy, they didn't
know who You was …” This song refers to the birth of our Lord, but it applies
equally well to His “triumphal entry.” They still don't know who He is.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

The more we receive in our silent prayer, the more we can
give in our active life.Silence gives
us a new way of looking at everything.We need this silence in order to touch souls.Jesus is always waiting for us in
silence.Because we cannot see Christ,
we cannot express our love to Him in person.But our neighbor we can see, and we can do for him or her what we would
love to do for Jesus if He were visible.Let us be open to God so that He can use us.Let us put love into our actions, beginning
in the family, in the neighborhood, in the street.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on
toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the
habit of doing, but encouraging one another -- and all the more as you see the
Day approaching."(Hebrews 10:24-25
NIV)

The genius of the Methodist movement, which enabled it to
conquer the raw lives of workingmen in industrial England, and the raw lives of
men and women on the American frontier, was the "class meeting" --
ten members and their leader, meeting regularly for mutual encouragement,
rebuke, nurture, and prayer.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Some years ago in a small town in
England a man escaped briefly from an institution for the criminally insane.
During his few hours' liberty, he captured, raped, and murdered a small girl
and was then apprehended by authorities. At the same time he arrived at the
police station under escort, the father of the child arrived, too. The father
was a mild-mannered man, but when he saw the person who had murdered his
beloved child, he went berserk, and it took a number of lawmen to control him.
There was no incompatibility between his love and his wrath; in fact, there was
a clear connection between the two. Strangely, the intensity of his love was
demonstrated in the intensity of his anger. Love for the beloved was shown in
anger against that which had destroyed the beloved.

The
love and wrath of God must be seen as a continuum of the divine emotion for
humankind. The intensity of the love of God for people is clearly mirrored in
the intensity of His antipathy to that which marred His creative masterpiece.
And the greatest manifestation of the love of God, the cross of Christ, is
itself the fiery focal point of the divine wrath. You cannot look at the cross
and see love without wrath and wrath without love. The cross stands tall in
human history as the epitome of the relationship between both.

-- Stuart Briscoe in The Fruit
of the Spirit: Cultivating Christian Character

Friday, March 11, 2016

Would you do what Jesus did? He swapped a spotless castle
for a grimy stable. He exchanged the worship of angels for a company of
killers. I wouldn’t do it, but Christ did! If you knew that only a few would
care that you came, would you still come? If you knew that those you loved
would laugh in your face, would you still care? Christ did. He humbled Himself.
The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that’s
what love does. It puts the beloved before itself. He loves you that much, and
because He loves you, you are of prime importance to Him.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Let us acknowledge that the world in which we are living
is getting worse every day and, each and everyone of us -- regardless of our
professions, race or religion -- is responsible for and has a role to play in
the process of making it a more just and livable place.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

"In
those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from
citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant
promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without
hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away
from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of
Christ."(Ephesians 2:12-13 NLT)

It is a Gospel to [people] who are without God, sinful,
bewildered, anxious, discouraged, self-sufficient and proud yet destroying
themselves and others, caught in a desperate plight from which they cannot
extricate themselves.The Bible characterizes
[people] in such a state as "lost", and as being "without hope
in the world"...And let no one
suppose that such a term as "lost" is merely a bit of conventional
theological jargon.It stands for a
terrible reality, a reality which modern man in his modern predicament knows
only too well from his own bitter experience.It gives rise to the voices of despair which haunt our radios, our
newspapers, our fiction and poetry, our stage and screen, our doctors' offices,
our hospital wards, our grisly nightmare of atomic war, and the conversation of
common people who no sooner meet than they begin to bemoan the fate that has
overtaken the world.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Lent
is the perfect season of the year for solitude and self-reflection. As we
spiritually journey into the desert, Lent is a time to re-examine our boundary
lines and get realigned, set in right relationship with God and the world
around us. I would like to suggest a Lenten path to travel as the days grow
longer and Easter approaches, the path of simplicity.

Simplicity
is not about poverty, or a renunciation of possessions, or a set of "dos"
or "don'ts."Rather,
simplicity is a spiritual discipline that re-orients one's life by deliberately
organizing it around a central purpose. Adhering to a focused center reduces
the fractured nature of our lives. Our priorities become aligned to the focus
of our lives, and the way we live out our simplicity in terms of our time,
energy, and money becomes a reflection of our inner beliefs. On the most basic
level, simplicity means being honest and sincere with ourselves about our faith
and what really matters most to us.

To
walk the path of simplicity we must believe that God calls us to it. Lent
invites us to journey in the way of Jesus by learning more about His way and
applying it in our lives.

In the
coming days of Lent, allow Christ's light to shine more brightly in your life
and lead you into a path of simplicity that helps you re-orient your life
toward God in Christ.

--
Ann Hagmann in Alive Now Magazine, March/April 2002, published by The
Upper Room, Nashville, TN.Used with
permission.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Winston Churchill had planned his
funeral, which took place in Saint Paul's Cathedral.He included many of the great hymns of the
church and used the eloquent Anglican liturgy.At his direction, a bugler, positioned high in the dome of Saint Paul's,
intoned, after the benediction, the sound of "Taps", the universal
signal that says the day is over.

But then came the most dramatic turn: as
Churchill instructed, as soon as "Taps" was finished, another bugler,
placed on the other side of the great dome, played the notes of
"Reveille" -- "It's time to get up.It's time to get up.It's time to get up in the morning."

That
was Churchill's testimony that at the end of history, the last note will not be
"Taps"; it will be "Reveille". The worst things are never
the last things.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Faithfulness comes from good stock. If
ever a word had good parents, impressive grandparents, and sterling ancestors,
it is faithfulness. That's because faithfulness comes from God Himself.

God. The God who made a covenant with
Abraham and said, "I will be faithful to you." God. The same God who
made a covenant with Moses and the Israelites and said, "I will be
faithful to you." God. The very God who made a covenant with the entire
world by sending Jesus Christ in order to say, "In Him, I am faithful to
you." God is faithful. That means God keeps His word. God does what He
says He will do. He makes good on His promises. God is true even when His
people are not. Faithfulness is an old, old word. Faithfulness is a good word.
It is God's word.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Be still… deliberately pause and discover that God
is God. Stop reaching back into your own treasure of security. Stop trying to
pull the strings yourself. Stop manipulating people and situations. Stop making
excuses for your irresponsibilities. Stop ignoring reality. Stop rationalizing your
way through life. Stop all that!

"How?"
you ask. Initially: Be quiet. The immortal, invisible, all-wise God, hid from your
human eyes, is at work. Be very still and, for a change, listen.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

We may want to talk about our loved one frequently;
in fact we may fear that our need to talk is excessive. But talking about a
loved one who died is a testament to that person's life. It is a reflection of
all that person offered to us and to others. It signifies that our loved one
had a unique personality and character and was a strong influence in our lives,
that he or she gave something valuable to us and received from us as well.

Talking keeps
the person alive in important ways. It confirms that our loved one will be an
ongoing part of our lives and the lives of those around us, that he or she came
into this world and had an impact, and shall live in our hearts and minds
forever.

--
Carol Staudacher in A Time To Grieve: Meditations For Healing After The
Death Of A Loved One

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

"God made Christ who had no sin to be sin for
us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."(2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)

It
wasn't the Romans who nailed Jesus to the cross.It wasn't the Jewish religion that took Him
up the hill of Calvary.It wasn't spikes
that held Jesus to the cross.What held
Him to that cross was His conviction that it was necessary that He become sin
-- that He who is pure become sin and that the wrath of God be poured down, not
upon the creation, but upon the Creator.

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Welcome to SOUND BITES

By David T. Wilkinson

Over the years I have collected quotes that pertain to the Christian faith and life in general. As I have read or studied what others have written, I have been struck by the profound thought that is captured in their few short words. These quotes have been shared through SOUND BITES Ministry™ , a five-day-a-week inspirational e-mail ministry, and now are shared through this blog as well. You will also find us on Facebook by clicking SOUND BITES Ministry on Facebook.

Visit the photo website of David T. Wilkinson Photography which celebrates God's creation. Click on the image below...

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How SOUND BITES came to be

During Lent 1999 God prompted me to think about a new idea as to how I might share these thoughts with a broader audience. At the same time, our family was experiencing the first anniversary of the death of our son, Dustin, who died at the age of sixteen from a brain tumor. So, beginning on that anniversary, March 29, 1999 we began an e-mail ministry in memory of Dustin that we call SOUND BITES: Something to chew on that is good for the soul™. Five days a week, Monday through Friday, I share one of these quotes with subscribers. Hopefully recipients find something of faith and life to think about and chew on, which feeds their soul and helps them grow spiritually. Since its inception, over 4200 daily quotes have been sent out. The subscriber list continues to grow numerically and geographically with subscribers in every state in the U.S., and also in Canada, Mexico, and numerous other countries around the world. Currently close to 2000 subscribers receive SOUND BITES directly via e-mail and many others second hand. Now through Facebook, Twitter and this blog we expand our outreach even more. A number of years ago we had folks share how GOD has used our SOUND BITES Ministry™ to minister them. To read their comments click 13th Anniversary Comments.